City on the right Wright track

City’s £9m comeback signing scored against Aston Villa a week ago and hit his eighth goal of the season here to set the Blues up for a UEFA Cup quarter-final place.

Wright-Phillips’ tremendous strike on the half-hour followed an eighth-minute opener from Felipe Caicedo.

It was the Ecuadorian’s fourth goal in only his sixth start for the club.

The importance of progress in this competition to City was underlined by the full-strength team sent out by Mark Hughes.

The City boss risked selection problems for their big Premier League date at Chelsea, but that didn’t deter him from going for broke last night.

Belgian midfielder Vincent Kompany had to sit this one out with a damaged toe joint, but Robinho and Micah Richards returned after missing the impressive 2-0 win over Villa with ankle and hamstring problems.

With Nigel de Jong absent because he is cup-tied – he is also struggling for the weekend with a knee problem – Pablo Zabaleta switched from right-back to central midfield.

Hughes believes winning the UEFA Cup in Istanbul in May could be City’s best way into next season’s revamped Europa League, although he has not given up on nicking seventh spot in the Premier League.

“European nights are all about making your mark and developing the team and that is what we are all about,” declared the man they call Sparky.

“We feel it is important and we want to be in Europe on a regular basis and are desperate to progress.

“We are the last English club standing. We are proud of that and want to stay upright as long as we can. We have two bites of the cherry in terms of getting back into Europe next season and we could be looking at some great European nights between now and the end of May.”

Hughes’s players seemed determined to give the half-empty City of Manchester Stadium just such an occasion as they ripped into Aalborg in a scintillating opening 10 minutes.

Robinho’s superb through pass sent Wright-Phillips scampering into the goalmouth, where he was pipped to the ball by charging keeper Karim Zaza.

Then Richards produced a 50-yard run with three players in vain pursuit, a surge that had assistant manager Mark Bowen running to the technical area to applaud the big defender.

Another attack ended with Caicedo swivelling on the edge of the box and firing over the bar.

City’s fans had only another 80 seconds to wait before Caicedo made the breakthrough.

He collected Robinho’s pass, turned Michael Jakobsen on the 18-yard line, and coolly side-footed his shot past Zaza’s right hand.

Aalborg, though trailing in the Danish League thanks to some indifferent early-season displays, had lost only once in their previous seven European games and were unbeaten in their last five.

Manchester United were the last side to keep a clean sheet against them in September in the Champions League group phase.

Their proudest day was in December, when they drew 2-2 at Old Trafford.

That effort and the six-goal crushing of Spaniards Deportivo in the last round ensured they had City’s respect.

The Danes earned that with a spirited fightback that saw them go close to equalising twice in two minutes.

Andreas Johansson, a Premier League winner here with Wigan two years ago, hit a cracking shot that Richards blocked with his body.

Then City keeper Shay Given dashed from his line to save Caca’s shot with his knees.

But Aalborg were stopped dead in their tracks when Wright-Phillips scored a spectacular second goal for the Blues.

The little midfielder, back at his spiritual home after three seasons at Chelsea, turned Patrick Kristensen inside out before unleashing a bending shot with the outside of his right boot.

Zaza soared high to his left but he couldn’t stop the ball from zipping inside the near post.

Aalborg, undefeated in their previous 17 matches at home and abroad, wouldn’t lie down though. Skipper Thomas August-inussen clutched his face in despair as his shot whizzed a foot wide.

Yet Robinho came even closer. He mesmerised Anders Due before blasting a close-range shot that Zaza deflected off his shoulder.

And the Brazilian was flabbergasted when Luxembourg referee Alain Hamaer refused him a penalty after he was tripped by Michael Beauchamp.

City’s frustration deepened when Nedum Onouha’s header from an Elano corner flew just over the top and Robinho saw Zaza turn yet another shot around the post.